We continue to consider something
of the content of Psalm 23. So this evening I want to draw
your attention to words that we now find at verse 5. The 23rd
Psalm and the first part of verse 5. thou preparest a table before
me in the presence of mine enemies. In Psalm 23 and that first part
of verse 5 where we read of the divine provision, the divine
provision, because last time we were considering the end of
the previous verse, the end of verse 4, where we have those
words, thy rod and thy staff, thy comfort me. And so we sought
to say something with regards to that divine comfort that comes
through the rod and the staff. The rod, of course, is there
for correction. The prophet Micah says that Lord's
voice crieth unto the sitter, the man of wisdom shall see thy
name, he the rod, and who hath appointed it. It bears the name
of God, God himself is pleased to come, is he not, and to reveal
himself even when he comes in the way of chastening and correcting
the rod for correction, the staff is there for guidance. He will lead his people in those
right ways, that narrow path that leads to life. Are we not
told that whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth? and scourge at
every son whom he receiveth if he endure chastening God dealeth
with you as with sons for what son is he whom the father chasteneth
not." It has been well said concerning God's dealings that there is
that sure rule with God that chastening will always end in
cherishing whom the Lord loveth he chastens. No chastening for
the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous nevertheless. For
there is that nevertheless afterward, it yieldeth the peaceable fruit
of righteousness to them who are exercised therein. There is the chastening, and
yet there is also that cherishing, that comfort that God comes to
minister unto his children. But we did remark last week also
that we had to take account of the fact that the psalm is clearly
a messianic psalm. The psalm of David, of course.
And David was a shepherd boy. He is able to write out of his
own experiences as a shepherd. But he is speaking of him who
is the great shepherd of the sheep, the Lord. is my shepherd."
And we think of the words of the Lord Jesus there in the gospel
in John chapter 10. He says, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his
life for the sheep. And again, he declares, I am
the good shepherd and know my sheep and am known of mine. This psalm then that speaks of
the ministry of the shepherd clearly speaks to us of the Lord
Jesus Christ. And I remarked last time that
the rod and the staff in a sense are spiritual types. Even the
rod is a type. the type of the Lord Jesus. Is
he not that one who is spoken of in the 11th chapter of Isaiah's
prophecy? A rod out of the stem of Jesse
and the branch that grows out of his roots. He is that rod
out of Jesse's stem. Jesse being the father of David. Christ then is that one who is
the rod, the Holy Spirit we might say, is that one who is the staff,
another comforter, says Christ, another comforter. that he may
abide with you forever. Thy rods and thy staff, they
comfort me." How God himself is the one who is the comforter
of his people, who comes to minister that comfort to them, even in
the mystery of his dealings, even in those times when he comes
to correct them or to chasten them or to lay his rod upon them
or to guide and direct them with his staff. Well, now we come
to consider the words that follow here at the beginning of verse
5. Thou preparest a table before
me in the presence of mine enemies. Here we see the divine provision,
the divine provision. And again, it is God Himself,
is it not? Thou! Thou preparest a table
before me, says David. That provision, is it not, made
again in the person and in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ? Remember, in the 25th chapter
of the book of the prophet Isaiah, we read of that Feast that is
made in the mountain. Now which is the mountain that
is being spoken of here? Well, the end of Isaiah 24 we
read, The Lord of Hosts shall reign in Mount Zion. The Lord
of Hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and then just a few verses
later, verse 6 of chapter 25, In this mountain shall the Lord
of Hosts make unto all people a feast. are fat things a feast
of wines on the lees, are fat things full of marrow, of wines
on the lees, well refined." This is that feast that is made in
Mount Zion, and we're told, are we not, in Hebrews chapter 12,
that we come not to Mount Sinai, but we come to Mount Zion. This
is that great gospel feast, and we just sang of it, of course.
These remarkable hymns that we use in praise to God. What a
beautiful hymn is this, 264. I wonder sometimes as we sing
these words if we really appreciate the significance. Look at the
language here in verses 4 and 5. but with a smiling face and spread
the table of thy grace. Bring down a taste of truth divine
and cheer my heart with sacred wine. Bless Jesus, what delicious
fare, how sweet thy entertainments are. Never did angels taste above
redeeming grace and dying love. What a privileged people we are. How God favours us as his creatures. We are made lower than the angels
and yet we partake of blessings that the elect angels know nothing
of. We know that bleeding love of
the Lord Jesus Christ, that redeeming grace of our God. These are the
things then that are said before us. Thou preparest a table before
me, says David, in the presence of mine enemies. Now what are
we to make then of this remarkable provision, this rich fare that
God provides for us in the Gospel? Well we read that lovely account
that we have of course in the book of Ruth. And I'm very struck,
I've been struck many times reading those verses by what we're told
there in verse 14 of chapter 2. Boaz said unto her, At mealtime
come hither and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar.
And she sat beside the reapers, and he reached her parched corn,
and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left. This is natural food
that is being spoken of, but is there not a spiritual significance? What is this bread that she is
to partake of? Eat of the bread, says Boaz. But who is the one who is the
bread of life? It's the Lord Jesus Christ himself
again, is it not? We have those words in the sixth
chapter of John where he says, I am that bread of life. In fact, he says much, repeatedly
concerning himself there as the one who is the bread of life. Again at verse 51 he says, I
am the living bread. which came down from heaven.
If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever. And the
bread that I will give is my life, which I will give for the
life of the world. And then what did he go on to
say? Verse 53, verily, verily. All
he prefixes his teaching here with a double verily. Amen. Amen. That's what it literally says
in the original. It's the Amen. It's the faithful,
the true witness himself who is speaking. Verily, verily,
I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man and
drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh
and drinketh my blood hath eternal life, and I will raise him up
at the last day, for my flesh is meat indeed. and my blood
is drink indeed. This, friends, is the Gospel
feast. This is the table that God spreads
for poor, needy sinners. It all centers there in the person
of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Great I Am. I am the bread of
life. But then, what do we read concerning
the instruction that Boaz gives to Ruth in that verse that we
referred to in chapter 2 at verse 14? He says, dip thy morsel in
the vinegar. Now what is the spiritual significance
of the vinegar? It's a sharp thing, is it not?
And we read of the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ that
they gave him vinegar, when at the end of his sufferings,
as he comes to lay down his life, as he comes to commend his spirit
into the hands of God, as he finishes the great work that
had been given to him in the eternal covenant, He says, does
he not, I thirst. What do we read there in the
Gospel, in John's account of these things? We're told, Jesus,
knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture
might be fulfilled, saith I thirst. Now there was saith a vessel
full of vinegar, and they filled the sponge with vinegar, and
put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore
had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished. And he
bowed his head and gave up the ghost. Oh, vinegar! Oh, it is so representative of
the bitterness of His sufferings, the sharpness of those pains
that He had to endure upon the cross. Does He not say in Scripture,
remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the
gore, the wormwood and the gore, that bitter cup that the Lord
Jesus Christ must drink and He must drink it to the very dregs. We see Him there, do we not?
in agony in his prayers to his father in the garden of Gethsemane. Oh my father, if it be possible,
let this cup pass from me. He knew. Oh, he knew what was
before him. The awful bitter death that he
must die when he made the great sacrifice for sins, when he bore
in his own holy person the wrath of God against the sins of his
people. If it be possible, let this cup
pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but
thine, be done." But here he teaches it. And we see it there
with Ruth. And he's not Boaz, a remarkable
type of the Lord Jesus Christ. He says, take the bread, dip
thy morsel in the vinegar, And she does the very thing that
he tells her to do. Here is something then of that
spiritual feast, the feast of the gospel. Then we read also
of him giving her parched corn. He reached her parched corn,
he says, and she did eat and was sufficed. What a wonderful
figure we have there in that parched corn. that Boaz also gave to her. Remember
in the offerings that God prescribes for the children of Israel in
the book of Leviticus, besides the blood sacrifices, there were
to be meat offerings. That's the expression that we
have in our authorized version, meat offerings. But the reference
there of course is not to meat, as we would know it. we think
of meat in terms of the flesh of animals. But the meat offering
is really a reference to what is a meal offering. In a sense,
the word is used in reference to food in general when we read
in the scriptures. The psalmist says, the eyes of
all wait upon thee, and they give us from there meat. their
food in due season now there were to be various meat offerings
and we read at the end of Leviticus chapter 2 of the first fruits
of the harvest there in the second chapter of the book of Leviticus
Leviticus chapter 2 at verse 14. As the Lord God is giving
this instruction to His servant Moses for the children of Israel,
He says, 14. If thou offer a meat offering
of thy firstfruits unto the Lord, thou shalt offer for the meat
offering of thy firstfruits green ears of corn dried by the fire,
even corn beaten out of full ears. and thou shalt put oil
upon it, and lay frankincense thereon. It is a meat offering,
and the priest shall burn the memorial of it, part of the beaten
corn thereof, and part of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense
thereof. It is an offering made by fire
unto the Lord. Here is that that is associated
then with the firstfruits of the harvest. The first fruits
of the harvest had to take green ears of corn and had to dry it
by the fire, had to parch it. And it's that corn that has been
beaten out of full ears. Now, remember when we read there
in Ruth we're told at the end of the opening chapter that when
they returned to Bethlehem it was the beginning of the barley
harvest. So what is this that we have
in verse 14 of chapter 2? She sat beside the reapers and
he reached her parched corn and she did eat and was sufficed
and left. It is that very thing that we're
reading of in Leviticus chapter 2. those verses that speak of
that particular meat offering. It was parched corn. It was the green ears that had
been scorched. Oh, it speaks to us so wonderfully,
does it not, of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, when we think
of green ears. Is He not a type of Christ in
His innocence, greenness, freshness. In the Gospel, in Luke's account,
in Luke chapter 23, as Christ makes His way to His crucifixion,
we read about the people, and the women in particular, were
lamenting over Him. And what does He say if they
do these things in a green truth? What will they do in the dry?
The Lord Jesus Christ is that green tree, you see. The Lord
Jesus Christ is that one in which there is all freshness and all
innocence. There is nothing of sin in Him. But how those green ears are
taken and they're scorched. They're scorched. And the Lord
Jesus is that one who is taken and he is scorched, is he not,
by the wrath of Almighty God as he makes that great sacrifice
for sins. And we have it here in the previous
psalm. Look at Psalm 22. We know that this is a Messianic
psalm, no disputing that fact. The opening words are words that
Christ himself utters in all the agonies of his sufferings
upon the cross. My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me? It is so evidently a Messianic
psalm. Verse 14, he cries out, I am
poured out like water and all my bones are out of joy. My heart
is like wax, it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength
is dried up like a potsherd. My tongue cleaveth to my jaws,
and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. Here is that,
you son, that is represented at the first fruits, when they
take those green ears and they scorch them. And this is that
that Boaz feeds Ruth with. It is, I say, the great feast
of the Gospel that we have there in that simple verse in that
second chapter of the book of Ruth. And it's not only parched
corn, not only parched corn, but it is corn, it says, that
is to be beaten out of full ears. Again, the prophet Isaiah tells
us in chapter 28 and verse 28 of his book that bread corn is
bruised the Lord Jesus Christ is that bread of life but bread
corn is bruised it is taken is it not the corn and it is put
between the nether and the upper millstone it must be ground it
must be bruised and how it pleased the Lord to bruise him He has
put him to grief Oh, here is that, you see, that is prepared. This remarkable provision that
God has made for sinners in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And you might think, well, isn't this some fanciful interpretation
of what we're reading there in the second chapter of the book
of Ruth? But didn't the Lord Jesus Christ
himself declare, search the Scriptures. These are they that testify of
me. Do we not want to find Christ
here in the Word of God? Do we not seek Him in every part
of Scripture? That's what we want to find.
We want to find Him. I think it was Mr. Spurgeon in his book on Commenting
and Commentaries when he comes to remark on dear old Robert
Hawker's Poor Man's Commentary. He speaks well of Dr. Hawker,
but he makes this remark, he says, Dr. Hawker finds Christ
where he is not. Hawker finds Christ in all the
scriptures. And Mr. Spurgeon disagreed with him.
Well, I'm afraid I there have to agree with the good doctor
and not with Mr. Spurgeon. Surely Hawker is right. We want to find Christ when we
come under the sound of God's word. Do we not want to be those
who are feeding upon him, feeding upon his person, feeding upon
his work? We want to eat the bread of life. We want to take our morsel, we
want to dip it in the vinegar. We want to understand something
of those bitter sufferings that he had to endure when he made
his soul the great offering for sins. We want to enter into these
things. We want to partake of these things.
Or is it just a matter of coming and seeking to have some intellectual
appreciation? Oh God grant that his word might
be meat and drink to our souls. Here is that provision that God
has made and how it has been prepared Or we see it, friends,
always in Christ, in His person. Who He is. The God-Man. That One who is so suitable to
come between us and God, because He is God. He is very God of
very God. He is the Eternal Son of the
Eternal Father, is He not? And yet He, who is God, is also
man and a real man. and how he can come, you see,
between heaven and earth, or the blessed wonder of his person,
the great mystery of godliness, how God was manifest in the flesh. And then that work, that remarkable
work that he came to accomplish, the one who was God and equal
with the Father, makes himself of no reputation, takes upon
him the form of a servant. how in the covenant He is God's
servant and He comes therefore into this world as one who will
serve the will of God His meat is to do the will of Him that
sent Him that's His meat that's His necessary food to do the
will of Him that sent Him to finish His work and how He finishes
that work even to the extremity of the cross when He cries there
in triumph it is finished. The obedience of his sinless
life, the great oblation that he makes when he lays down his
soul as a sacrifice for sins, when he pours out his soul unto
death, or the shedding of that precious blood that we desire
to be those who would eat his flesh and to drink his blood. But there's not only this provision
that God has provided, but there's also here in our text the presentation
of it. Thou preparest a table before
me in the presence of mine enemies. God himself has prepared it, God himself has accomplished
it, But now it is also to be presented. The table before me,
it says, in the presence of mine enemies. Now notice the language
that is being used here. David says that this table is
that that is set before him. A table before me. The table, as it were, is brought
to David. And David, in a sense, is brought
to the table or doesn't it show us an important truth again concerning
the sinner for whom the gospel feast has been prepared it shows
us a vital truth does it not that sinner is so impotent so
helpless that sinner is one who is totally deprived of himself
he has no legs to come. This afternoon at Hedge End the preacher was Mr. Tim Field from Tombridge. He'd
been preaching earlier in the morning at Swanwick Shore and
he came to take the afternoon service and he preached from
Mark chapter 2, that miracle that Christ performs upon the
man who was sick of the pulse. You remember how his four friends
bring him to Capernaum because Christ has again come to Capernaum
and Christ is in the house and the man is sick of the pulse,
he's paralyzed. He cannot bring himself they
have to bring him to where Christ is and there's a great press
of people and they can't enter the house and they go onto the
roof, do you remember the details of the account as we have it
there in that chapter and they make a hole and they let Christ
down into the midst where Christ is and when the Lord sees him
he declares, son my sins be forgiven and now the scribes are so offended
who can forgive sins but God alone Here is the Lord Jesus stating
His deity, the forgiveness of sins. And then He says to him
who is sick of the palsy to stand up and walk. He demonstrates
His deity. But the point is, His friends,
and it was made this afternoon, the kindness of those friends,
they had to bring Him. They had to bring Him where Christ
was. He couldn't bring Himself. Or
can we not pray for our family, for our friends, those who have
no interest, it would seem, in the things of the gospel, no
concern for their never-dying souls, can we not bring them
in prayer to God? That's what we were reminded
of this afternoon. We can do that, can we not? We
can pray. But here, the point I make is this, the impotence,
you see. the impotence of the sinner he has no legs spiritual legs to come to the
Lord Jesus Christ he has no hands whereby you can reach out and
partake of that rich feast of the gospel he has no mouth to
taste these good things thou all must be brought to him all
must be set before him thou prepare as the table before me it says
and in the course of preparation and thinking of these things
on the yesterday morning and on
Friday my mind went to Mathieu Bachet remember Mathieu Bachet
the son of David's friend Jonathan. How he was laying in his feet. And in 2 Samuel chapter 9 we
have David inquiring concerning this son of his old friend Jonathan. And he's brought to the king's
house. And we have that lovely statement
at the end of that ninth chapter in 2 Samuel. So Mathibosheth
dwelt in Jerusalem, for he did eat continually at the King's
table and was lame on both his feet." He couldn't bring himself,
he was continually there, sitting at the King's table and partaking
of that rich provision that the King makes for sin. Oh, this is how the Lord deals
with us, is it not? He brings the Gospel to us. He comes where we are. The bride
in the Song of Solomon cries out, Draw me, we will run after
thee. We cannot do anything unless
the Lord first draws us. He has to bring us to Himself.
He has to cause us to come to Himself. Such is our condition
by nature. We are dead in trespasses and
in sins. We can do nothing. It's no use
if the provision is all prepared and left there. We cannot of
ourselves come to partake. In fact, the Lord must feed us. He must take the meat, as it
were, and He must put it right into our mouths. This is the
way of the Lord, is it not? And again we're told there in
that verse in the second chapter of the book of Ruth concerning
Boaz, as I say, Boaz is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ, and
it says, He reached her parched corn, He reached it to her, He
passed it to her, He reached her parched corn, and she did
eat, and was sufficed. Why? The Lord Himself fed her. And when we come as believers
to that ordinance of the Holy Supper of the Lord what does
the Lord say? He says take, eat, this is my
body which is given for you all we come you see to feed and we
feed upon him and he feeds us so graciously, he feeds us with
himself The guy in the language of the Song of Solomon, eat,
O friends, drink, yea, drink abundantly. O Beloved, O He comes,
you see, to us there at that Holy Supper, does He not? And
He not only feeds us, but He gives us drink also. O the cup
of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood
of Christ? What privileged people you see,
to partake of these things and the gracious way in which the
Lord is pleased to come to us and minister to us. It's before us. Thou preparest
a table before me, says David, in the presence of mine enemies. And see, friends, how how personal
it all is, and how particular it all is. It's before me. Oh, it's for me, individually. It's for you, poor needy sinner,
individually, personally. This was David's experience,
how the Lord dealt with him. And how the Lord ever deals with
His people, you see, as individuals. This is the gracious ways of
the Lord, but it's not only before me, it's not only so personal,
but it's also, it says, in the presence of mine enemies. In the presence of mine enemies,
ultimately. What does God do? God favours his children so openly
God blesses them in the very face of their enemies. And we have a remarkable example
of that, do we not, in the Scriptures, in the case of Mordecai. Mordecai, the uncle of Esther,
the queen. And we read of the great hatred
of Haman towards Mordecai. But how eventually, Mordecai
is favoured and honoured and exalted in the very face of his
great enemy Haman. We see it there in the book of
Esther. In Esther chapter 6 Esther chapter 6 and verse 6,
So Haman came in, and the king said unto him, What shall be
done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman
thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do
honour more than to myself? And Haman answered the king,
For the man whom the Lord delighteth to honour, let the royal apparel
be brought, which the king useth to wear and the horse that the
king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head."
And what does the king say? Verse 10, he says to Haman, make
haste, take the apparel and the horse as thou hast said, and
do even so to Mordecai, the Jew that sitteth at the king's gate,
let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken. And then, at the end of that
chapter, verse 13, we're told how Haman
tells his wife Zeresh, and all his friends, everything that
had befallen him. Then his wise men and Zeresh, his wife, said
to him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews before whom
thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him,
but thou shalt surely fall before him. And while they were yet
talking with him, came the king's chamberlains, and hasted to bring
Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared. He would see Mordecai
exulting. Boy to table, prepared before
me, says David, in the presence of mine enemies. And they'll
believe, as you see, are those who are to triumph over all their
enemies. Believers must triumph, they'll
triumph ultimately over themselves, over sinful self. They'll triumph
over Satan himself, and it's all in the Lord Jesus Christ,
is He not? Or death, where is thy sting?
Or grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, the
strength of sin is the law, but thanks be to God, which giveth
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. All believers are to triumph,
and their enemies will see them triumphing. This is that provision
that God has made for the sinner in the person and in the work
of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a man, you see. Christ
Jesus, what do we read? This man receiveth sinners, and
eateth with them. And thou, He delights to come
to us time and time and time again in the Gospel how He will
repeatedly spread before us His blessed Gospel feats and it all
centers in Himself and all that great work that He has accomplished
that we're not only directed to consider what He has done
but also the way in which He is pleased to bring us into the
enjoyment of these things All we see, do we not, then, how
that this great salvation is altogether of the Lord. That
that was purposed by the Father from all eternity, that that
was prepared, you see, from before the foundation of the world,
this table. It's that that was procured by
the Lord Jesus Christ, accomplished when He came, and fulfilled all
righteousness in the great sacrifice of himself but then how it must
all be applied that gracious ministry of God the Holy Ghost
the Comforter who takes of the things of Christ and reveals
them to sinners isn't that what Christ said his ministry would
be he shall take of mine and shall show it unto you or that
we might know that blessed ministry then of the Spirit of God Himself,
granting to us a spiritual appetite and feeding us with these spiritual
dainties. Thou who preparest the table
before me in the presence of mine enemies. The Lord be pleased
to bless His Word.